Junior Worlds: Dance Preview

While North American teams have been dominating at the senior level in ice dance, the Russians have been able to hold on to the Junior ranks, winning the last two Junior World titles and sweeping the last two JGP Finals.  This year, Russia is sending all three of their medal winning Final teams to Junior Worlds.  Stepanova and Bukin have won four JGP gold medals (every event they have entered) in the last two years and won the JGP Final bronze medal twice.  They were left off the Junior Worlds team last season.  Sinitsina and Zhiganshin have two silver and two gold JGP medals as well as 1 silver and 1 gold JGP Final medals.  They were also left off the Junior Worlds team last season.  Yanovskaya and Mozgov are a new team this season and have medaled at every event they have entered including winning the gold at the Youth Olympic Games.  The only team likely to challenge this trio is Aldridge and Eaton who have been showing steady improvement all season and were solid at U.S. nationals.  Overall, this is a fairly inconsistent group of competitors with results all over the board, and the consistency of the top three Russian teams is likely to pay off here.

Stepanova/Bukin won two gold medals to qualify for the JGP Final where they won bronze.  They have the best short dance, 2nd best free dance and 2nd best total score of the season.

Sinitsina/Zhiganshin have been perfect all season, winning two JGP golds and gold at the JGP Final.  They increased their score by 11 points between their first two events of the season. They have the 2nd best short dance, best free dance and best total score of the season.

Yanovskaya/Mozgov collected a gold and a bronze on the JGP before taking home the silver medal from the JGP Final.  Their bronze came at their international debut in Poland and they showed a big improvement in Estonia, taking home the gold with a 21 point improvement in their personal best score.  They have the 3rd best short dance, 3rd best free dance and 3rd best total score of the season.

Aldridge/Eaton won silver and bronze medals to qualify for the JGP Final. They improved their personal best by 8 points en route to their first JGP medal in Latvia and had a whopping 18 point improvement to snag the silver medal in Austria.  They have the 5th best short dance, 4th best free dance and 4th best total score of the season.

Nosulia/Kholoniuk won a gold and bronze medal on the JGP to qualify for the Final.  After finishing 19th at Junior Worlds last season, they pulled up to take home the gold medal from JGP Latvia, the first event of the season, beating their personal best by 15 points.  They have the 6th best short dance, 10th best free dance and 8th best total score of the season.

Bonacorsi/Mager won a silver and bronze medal on the JGP and just missed qualifying for the Final.  They won their silver in Australia with a new personal best score. They have the 9th best short dance, 7th best free dance and 7th best total score of the season.

Orford/Williams won gold at JGP Australia with a new personal best score but dropped to a disappointing 10th place at JGP Austria.  They have the 10th best short dance, 6th best free dance and 9th best total score of the season.

Shtork/Rand won silver at JGP Estonia after a 19 point improvement over their previous JGP outing. They have the 8th best free dance and 10th best total score of the season.

Other teams to watch for are Papadakis/Cizeron, Koch/Nuchtern, Hetman/Allain and  Prochazkova/Ceska.

Teams who medaled on the JGP and are not at this event include Russians Kosigina/Moroshkin (2 medals, alternates) and Zenkova/Sinitsin (2 medals, alternates); Ukranians Galyeta/Shumski (2 medals); and Canadians Bent/McKeen (alternates).

My podium predictions:

Gold: Sinitsina/Zhiganshin

Silver: Stepanova/Bukin

Bronze: Yanovskaya/Mozgov

Bios of the competitors:

Sparke/Doherty, AUS:

Kavaliova/Bieliaiev, BLR: They placed 23rd at Junior Worlds.  They finished 8th at JGP Poland.  Their personal best is 111.34.  She is 17 and he is 19.

Orford/Williams, CAN (D): They finished 8th at Junior Worlds.  They won gold at JGP Australia and finished 10^th at JGP Austria.  Their personal best is 127.21.  She is 19 and he is 20.

Poulin/Servant, CAN (D): They finished 6^th at JGP Latvia.  Their personal best is 118.00.  She is 16 and he is 20.

Zhang/Wu, CHN: They finished 12th at JGP Austria and 10^th at JGP Italy.  Their personal best is 110.90.  She is 18 and he is 20.

Prochazkova/Ceska, CZE: They finished 4^th at JGP Latvia and 8^th at JGP Austria.  Their personal best is 116.81.  She is 17 and he is 19.

Baadsgaard Snider/Dubrovski, DEN: They finished 13^th at their international debut in Poland.  Their personal best is 91.95.  She is 19 and he is 21.

Allik/Bellantuono, EST: She is 17 and he is 18.

Shtork/Rand, EST (D): They finished 10th at Junior Worlds last year.  They placed 14th at Europeans.  They finished 7th at JGP Romania and won silver at JGP Estonia.  Their personal best is 126.51.  She is 18 and he is 19.

Aghai/Partanen, FIN: They finished 6^th at their international debut in Australia and 9^th at JGP Estonia.  Their personal best is 101.80.  She is 17 and he is 20.

Hetman/Allain, FRA (D): She is 19 and he is 20.

Papadakis/Cizeron, FRA (D): They finished 12th at Junior Worlds last season.  They placed 4th at JGP Poland and JGP Estonia.  Their personal best is 122.79.  She is 16 and he is 17.

Koch/Nuchtern, GER: They finished 4^th at JGP Austria and Italy.  Their personal best is 124.35.  She is 18 and he is 20.

Smart/Buckland, GBR: They finished 13^th at their international debut in Austria and 12^th at JGP Estonia.  Their personal best is 92.64.  She is 14 and he is 19.

Merkwart/Lukacs, HUN: They finished 18^th at their international debut in Austria.  Their personal best is 72.35.  She is 14 and he is 15. 

Bugrov/Rogov, ISR: They finished 15^th in the preliminary round at Junior Worlds.  They placed 15^th at JGP Latvia and 9^th at JGP Latvia.  Their personal best is 98.87.  She is 16 and he is 20.  

Sforza/Fioretti, ITA: They finished 20th at Junior Worlds.  They placed 5th at JGP Romania and 7^th at JGP Italy.  Their personal best is 109.05.  She is 16 and he is 18.

Uzurova/Ali, KAZ: They finished 17^th at Junior Worlds last season.  They placed 6th at the Youth Olympic Games.  They placed 7^th at JGP Latvia and 15^th at JGP Poland.  Their personal best is 102.77.  She is 15 and he is 17.  

Pecherkina/Jakushin, LAT: They finished 17^th in the preliminary round at Junior Worlds.  They placed 8^th at JGP Latvia and 7^th at JGP Poland.  Their personal best is 113.24.  She is 19 and he is 21.

Yigit/Speden, NZL: They finished 19th in the preliminary round at Junior Worlds last season.  They placed 9th at JGP Australia.  Their personal best is 67.90.  She is 18 and he is 19.

Kaliszek/Kaliszek, POL: They finished 11^th at JGP Poland and JGP Estonia.  Their personal best is 98.12.  She is 15 and he is 21.

Sinitsina/Zhiganshin, RUS (D): They won gold at JGP Poland and JGP Austria to qualify for the JGP Final where they won gold.  Their personal best is 151.10.  She is 16 and he is 19.

Stepanova/Bukin, RUS (D): They won gold at JGP Romania and Italy to qualify for the JGP Final where they won bronze.  Their personal best is 149.98.  She is 16 and he is 18.

Yanovskaya/Mozgov (D), RUS: They won gold at the Youth Olympic Games.  They won bronze in their international debut in Poland and gold at JGP Estonia to qualify for the JGP Final where they won silver.  Their personal best is 142.72.  She is 15 and he is 16. 

Robledo/Fenero, ESP (D): She is 17 and he is 19.

Bausback/Rokachev, SUI (D): They finished 14^th at their international debut in Austria and 13^th at JGP Estonia.  Their personal best is 92.39.  She is 18 and he is 20.

Demirsal/Akalin, TUR: They finished 16^th in the preliminary round at Junior Worlds last season.  They finished 16^th at their JGP debut in Latvia.  Their personal best is 79.78.  She is 17 and he is 17.

Nosulia/Kholoniuk, UKR (D): They finished 19^th at Junior Worlds.  They won gold at JGP Latvia and bronze at JGP Austria to qualify for the JGP Final where they finished 6th.  Their personal best is 128.34.  She is 17 and he is 21.

Aldridge/Eaton, USA (D): They won bronze at JGP Latvia and silver at JGP Austria to qualify for the JGP Final where they placed 4th.  Their personal best is 136.85.  She is 17 and he is 19.

Bonacorsi/Mager, USA (D): They finished 11th at Junior Worlds last season.  They won silver at JGP Australia and bronze at JGP Italy.  Their personal best is 129.63.  She is 19 and he is 21.

Parsons/Parsons, USA (D): They placed 4th at the Youth Olympic Games.  They finished 9^th at their international debut in Poland.  Their personal best is 114.22.  She is 14 and he is 16.

Nagornyuk/Kovalenko, UZB: They finished 8^th at their international debut in Romania and 6^th at JGP Estonia.  Their personal best is 114.98.  She is 16 and he is 20.

U.S. Nationals: Junior Short Dance

Jeandell/Dodge: 20.42 TES + 17.12 PCS = 37.54

• She is 17 and he is 17 and they are skating to Let's Get Loud and Sway
• Yay for the Samba roll at the beginning of their program!
• Nice open leg twizzles to start off; they do three sets; a little slow, but in time with the music; really close on the third set
• They seem very tentative in some of these hold changes and I'd like to see her commit to more of the choreography with her free arm 
• He's really selling the Latin feel of this dance
• Rotational lift in a haircutter position--seemed a little long; must be 6 seconds or less otherwise they will be assessed a deduction
• Decent timing on their step sequence

Howe/Jahnke: 25.57 TES + 17.76 PCS = 43.33 and into 1st place

• She is 18 and he is 21
• Nice change of position in the lift with her in a tucked position
• They have a nice flow across the one foot section in their non touching footwork
• No unison through their two sets of twizzles and they seem to get really close in the second set
• I really appreciate that they're trying to put their spin on the Cha Cha and adding extra arm and shoulder movements but some of their hand to hand holds are a little awkward; nice matched leg lines throughout the step sequence
• Rotational lift into the ending pose
  

Mancini/Brooks: 26.00 TES + 19.81 PCS = 45.81 and into 1st place

•  She is 15 and he is 17 and they are skating to Haitian Lady
• Not sold on the one black tight, hopefully it will add to the performance and not be distracting
• Their height difference is so much better this season with a lot less hunching from him in the holds to reach her hands; he seems to be making up for the distance by getting a deeper knee bend instead
• Nice speed and flow through the Cha Cha with nice changes of hold throughout and good matching lines; nice big pattern that comes very close to the boards
• An upside down rotational lift with him holding her by her leg
• It looks like she put her foot down before him in both sets of twizzles and they were slightly off on their timing
• Nice deep edges and good timing in their step sequence but not a lot of Latin flair here

Dzierzankowski/Dispenza: 16.09 TES + 13.98 PCS -2.00 = 28.07 and into 4th place

• She is 19 and he is 21 and they are skating to Hot Hot Hot
• Really fart apart on the twizzles and not great timing through the first two sets
• Arch back lift with him in a spread eagle
• They could work on really stretching through their legs and feet in the Cha Cha section; it also looks like they're really concentrating and I'd like to see them relax and have more fun with it
• I'd like to see them have better matching lines in some of their transitional moves
• They need to stretch through their legs and stay with each other during the non touching step sequence
• He falls in the ending pose and takes her down with him
  

Bonacorsi/Mager: 28.35 TES + 25.04 PCS = 53.39 and into 1st place

• They are skating to Chilly Cha Cha and Besame Mucho
• Good timing, positions and relationship to each other on the three sets of twizzles
• She could stretch through her legs more in the non touching step sequence
• Flip into a spread eagle lift on his back and a flip foward on to his knees
• Her leg line is better in the Cha Cha, but there are a few places where they aren't completely in sync; nice big pattern all the way up to the boards
• Rotational lift with change of positions into their ending pose

Parsons/Parsons: 28.93 TES + 21.87 PCS = 50.80 and into 2nd place

• She is 14 and he is 16 and they are skating to Psychedelic Sally
• Really nice posture from him and it's nice to see the boy having better expression than the girl
• Nice lift with solid position changes
• A little off on their timing in the non touching step sequence
• Second set of twizzles was off on timing
• Rotational transitional lift into the Cha Cha
• In most places their leg lines match up in the Cha Cha but there are a few places they're not completely in sync and I'd like to see her have more stretch through her legs
  

Aldridge/Eaton: 27.71 TES + 26.71 PCS = 54.42 and into 1st place

•  She is 18 and he is 20 and they are skating to I Need To Know
• Her dress is my favorite of the evening so far
• Hello Diva faces!
• Flip into a handstand in a spread eagle and flip back to stand on his boot
• Great posture, control, leg stretch, toe point and nice holds in the Cha Cha; nice big pattern and good edge quality
• Good twizzles but they got a little close to the boards on the second set; they probably had the fastest twizzles of the night so far
• Nice push through the one foot section of their step sequence and I love how their arms and heads are always moving with the choreography; she bobbles on one of the last steps in the sequence
• Very professional program and they don't look like juniors

Pogrebinsky/Gudis: 25.86 TES + 20.81 PCS = 46.67 and into 4th place

•  She is 14 and he is 16 and they are skating to Relax Max/Party is Over
• Cool toss into a fish like lift to open their program
• He swings his leg really far forward in the Cha Cha and it looks like he's going to lose his balance in a few places; the transitions in their holds isn't as clean as some of the other teams; nice matching lines from them
• The first set of their twizzles cross but they don't finish at the same time
• I wonder if she recently has a growth spurt...she has very long limbs and it looks like she's not 100% sure what to do with them yet, but I see lots of potential

Bertsch/Kaplun: 25.08 TES + 19.80 PCS = 44.88 and into 6th place

• She is 18 and he is 21 and they are skating to Medley
• The hanging fringe on her dress makes me really nervous...hopefully she won't trip on it
• Really nice twizzle sequence with good timing, positions and space between them; only mistake was a small bobble from her at the very end of the second set
• I'd like to see her be a bit more deliberate with some of her leg positions in the Cha Chas as sometimes they're not directly to the back or the side but stuck in the middle
• Nice split lift with her standing on his boot and arching back and him skating on one foot
• Nice arabesque rotational lift at the end of the program

McNamara/Carpenter: 28.20 TES + 20.91 PCS = 49.11 and into 4th place

• She is 13 and he is 16 and they are skating to Kaboom and Gabriel's Oboe
• I like that their performance started the second they hit the ice and they have choreography to their opening poses
• Very different look for them--more Western Valentine than Latin and we'll see if it sets them apart or gets them penalized
• They have a ton or presence and personality on the ice for being so young
• Very crisp with the Cha Cha--the red boots really make you pay attention to her legs so it's a good thing they're stretched!
• Really nice relationship with each other and timing on the step sequence
• Good twizzles with good speed and timing
• Flip all the way around into an upside down lift hanging by her legs and him skating backwards on one foot
• Really cool toss into a rotational lift to end their program
• Not sure if this qualifies as Latin but it was definitely entertaining
  

Gamelin/Gamelin: 19.36 TES + 18.96 PCS -2.00 = 36.32 and into 10th place

• They are 19 and skating to a Latin Medley
• She's a lot like Madison Hubbell--way too sexy to dance with her brother
• She falls on the Cha Cha and takes him down with her and they run into the boards and it takes them a bit to untangle and get back into it
• Good timing on the twizzles
• I like that they're really going for the Latin feeling and putting some of the dance steps into their choreography
• I like all the Latin arms in their step sequence
• Flip into an upside down spread eagle lift into a wrap around his leg in a double stag
  

Hawayek/Bramante: 25.50 TES + 21.35 PCS = 46.85 and into 5th place

• They are skating to Sway and Tequila
• I think she's absolutely gorgeous
• She came out of the twizzles one rotation early on the first set
• Nice ice coverage on the step sequence with good edges
• Nice change of holds; matching leg lines; stretch and toe point in the Cha Cha but I'd like to see her relax and smile
• Rotational lift in a haircutter position
  

Heritage/Fast: 28.43 TES + 20.39 PCS = 48.82 and into 5th place

• He is in a squat and she is arched back over the ice in their lift
• While I absolutely adore this song (To Make You Feel My Love by Adele) I'm not sure it's Latin
• Nice twizzles with the leg straight out and well timed
• Did they forget to bleep out s**t in Rolling in the Deep?
• Their lines don't quite match through the Cha Cha
• Nice rotational lift over the back of his head

Place	Start No.	Name	Score
1	7	Alexandra Aldridge, Detroit SC Daniel Eaton, Detroit SC	54.42
2	5	Lauri Bonacorsi, Peninsula SC Travis Mager, IceWorks SC	53.39
3	6	Rachel Parsons, WA FSC Michael Parsons, WA FSC	50.80
4	10	Lorraine McNamara, Peninsula SC Quinn Carpenter, WA FSC	49.11
5	13	Madeline Heritage, University ISC of San Jose Nathaniel Fast, University ISC of San Jose	48.82
6	12	Kaitlin Hawayek, SC of Western NY Michael Bramante, Detroit SC	46.85
7	8	Elliana Pogrebinsky, Peninsula SC Ross Gudis, WA FSC	46.67
8	3	Jessica Mancini, Broadmoor SC Tyler Brooks, Broadmoor SC	45.81
9	9	Amanda Bertsch, Ann Arbor FSC Sam Kaplun, All Year FSC	44.88
10	2	Roxette Howe, All Year FSC Mark Jahnke, Seattle SC	43.33
11	1	Cassandra Jeandell, University of DE FSC Damian Dodge, Peninsula SC	37.54
12	11	Danielle Gamelin, SC of NY Alexander Gamelin, SC of NY	36.32
13	4	Jenna Dzierzanowski, Birmingham FSC Vinny Dispenza, Panthers FSC	28.07

U.S. Nationals Junior Dance Preview

This event features the reigning Junior medalists as well as all the novice medalists from last season.  Six of these teams are returning to nationals as juniors and seven of the teams competed on the Junior Grand Prix with one team qualifying for the Final.  With the Latin short dance requirement, the older teams will have an advantage as they will better be able to understand and capture the feeling of a Latin dance.  If a younger team can capture that flavor they'll also have a great shot at the podium.

Aldridge and Eaton won two medals on the Junior Grand Prix to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final.  Their claim to fame all season has been their River Dance Free Dance.  Their Short Dance almost kept them from the podium at their first JGP event, but it has steadily improved throughout the season.  They've really improved this season and taken their skating to another level and are one of best junior teams in the world.

Bonacorsi and Mager are the reigning Junior silver medalists and competed at Junior Worlds last season.  They just missed the Junior Grand Prix Final after winning two medals on the Junior Grand Prix.  They have a very fluid style and nice expression on the ice.  They set the highest sectional score this season.

Pogrebinsky and Gudis won the pewter medal as novices last season and didn't get a chance to compete on the Junior Grand Prix, however they won gold at their sectional event with the 2nd highest score overall.  They're also a very young team with several years of Junior eligibility ahead of them and with a good placement here, they'll likely receive Junior Grand Prix assignments next season.

Heritage and Fast finished just behind Pogrebinsky and Gudis at Sectionals and finished 5th at their Junior Grand Prix assignment.  They train in San Jose, so they'll have the home town crowd behind them at this event which gives them a big advantage but can also be added pressure.

Bertsch and Kaplun won gold at their sectional ahead of two teams that competed on the Junior Grand Prix.  They also set the 4th highest Sectionals score.

The Parsons siblings are the reigning Novice Champions and are only in their second season together after previously competing with other partners.  They finished 9th in their Junior Grand Prix debut and have the 5th highest Sectionals score.  They will be competing in the Youth Olympic Games in Austria the week before nationals and will have to fly directly to the event.  It will be a difficult schedule, but they'll be in a competitive mindset and have some additional international feedback.

Also in the hunt are Hawayek and Bramante who won a medal at nationals as novices last season and competed on the Junior Grand Prix and McNamara and Carpenter who competed as juniors at nationals last season but are still not old enough to compete as juniors internationally.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Aldridge/Eaton
Silver: Bonacorsi/Mager
Bronze: Pogrebinsky/Gudis
Pewter: Heritage/Fast

Bios of the competitors: 
Lauri Bonacorsi/Travis Mager: She is 18 and he is 21.  She represents the Peninsula Skating Club and he represents the Ice Works Skating Club.  They finished 11th at Junior Worlds last season.  They won bronze at JGP Italy and silver at JGP Australia.  They are the 2009 Novice Champions, finished 6th as Juniors in 2010 and are the reigning Junior silver medalists.  They won gold at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.    They have the 7th best short dance, 7th best free dance and 6th best total score internationally.

Danielle Gamelin/Alexander Gamelin: They are 18 and represent the Skating Club of New York.  They placed 9th at JGP Latvia.  They finished 9th in Juvenile in 2007, are the 2008 Juvenile bronze medalists, 2009 Intermediate Champions, finished 5th in Novice in 2010, and 7th in Junior in 2011.  They won pewter at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
 
Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter: She is 12 and he is 15.  She represents the Peninsula Skating Club and he represents the Washington Figure Skating Club.  They are the 2008 Juvenile pewter medalists, 2009 Intermediate pewter medalists, finished 6th in Novice in 2010 and 9th in Junior in 2011.  They won bronze at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons: She is 14 and he is 16.  They represent the Washington Figure Skating Club.  They finished 9th at JGP Poland.  They are the reigning Novice Champions.  They won silver at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Amanda Bertsch/Sam Kaplun: She is 18 and he is 21.  She represents the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club and he represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  They won gold at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Jenna Dzierzanowski/Vinny Dispenza:  She is 18 and he is 21.  She represents the Birmingham Figure Skating Club and he represents the Panthers Figure Skating Club.  They finished 13th in Juniors in 2011.  They won pewter at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Kaitlin Hawayek/Michael Bramante: She is 15 and he is 19.  She represents the Skating Club of Western New York and he represents the Detroit Skating Club.  They placed 8th at JGP Estonia and 4th at JGP Romania.  They are the reigning Novice bronze medalists.  They won silver at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Jessica Mancini/Tyler Brooks: She is 15 and he is 17.  They represent the Broadmoor Skating Club.  They finished 10th at JGP Poland.  They are the reigning Novice silver medalists.  They won bronze at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Madeline Heritage/Nathaniel Fast: She is 17 and he is 19.  They represent the University Ice Skating Club of San Jose.  They finished 5th at JGP Australia.  They are the 2008 Juvenile Champions, finished 8th in Intermediate in 2009, finished 9th in Novice in 2010 and 8th in Junior in 2011.  They won silver at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Roxette Howe/Mark Jahnke: She is 18 and he is 21.  She represents the All Year Skating Club and he represents the Seattle Skating Club.  They won bronze at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Cassandra Jeandell/Damian Dodge: They are 17 years old.  She represents the University of Delaware and he represents the Peninsula Figure Skating Club.  They finished 7th in Juvenile Dance in 2009 and 10th in Novice in 2011.  They won pewter at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Elliana Pogrebinsky/Ross Gudis: She is 13 and he is 16.  She represents the Peninsula Figure Skating Club and he represents the Washington Figure Skating Club.  They are the 2010 Intermediate bronze medalists and the reigning Novice pewter medalists.  They won gold at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Alexandra Aldridge/Daniel Eaton: She is 17 and he is 19.  They represent the Detroit Skating Club.  They won bronze at JGP Latvia and silver at JGP Austria to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they finished 4th.  They are the 2010 Novice Champions and finished 5th in Juniors in 2011.  They received a bye to nationals by qualifying for the JGPF.  They have the 4th best short dance, free dance and total scores internationally.

JGP Italy Free Dance Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded. -	StN.
1	Alexandra STEPANOVA / Ivan BUKIN	RUS	87.12	41.22		45.90	7.79	7.46	7.71	7.68	7.71	0.00	#16
2	Valeria ZENKOVA / Valerie SINITSIN	RUS	76.74	35.64		41.10	6.89	6.71	6.89	6.93	6.93	0.00	#14
3	Lauri BONACORSI / Travis MAGER	USA	75.96	36.28		39.68	6.61	6.43	6.75	6.71	6.71	0.00	#15
4	Shari KOCH / Christian NUECHTERN	GER	72.46	35.51		36.95	6.25	5.96	6.18	6.32	6.21	0.00	#13
5	Victoria HASEGAWA / Connor HASEGAWA	CAN	66.92	32.94		33.98	5.79	5.54	5.68	5.79	5.57	0.00	#11
6	Estelle ELIZABETH / Romain LE GAC	FRA	63.22	31.50		31.72	5.39	5.11	5.36	5.36	5.32	0.00	#6
7	Yiyi ZHANG / Nan WU	CHN	60.74	33.22		31.52	5.39	5.04	5.32	5.32	5.32	4.00	#8
8	Sofia SFORZA / Francesco FIORETTI	ITA	60.42	27.08		33.34	5.57	5.32	5.75	5.68	5.64	0.00	#10
9	Lolita YERMAK / Alexander LIUBCHENKO	UKR	59.34	25.64		33.70	5.79	5.43	5.57	5.68	5.71	0.00	#9
10	Caelen DALMER / Shane FIRUS	CAN	59.24	29.36		29.88	4.93	4.82	5.07	5.07	5.14	0.00	#12
11	Lindsay POUSSET / Louis THAURON	FRA	57.64	30.57		27.07	4.61	4.32	4.61	4.64	4.50	0.00	#4
12	Sarah COWARD / Avidan BROWN	GBR	53.21	24.98		29.23	4.93	4.71	4.79	5.04	5.00	1.00	#7
13	Alessia BUSI / Andrea FABBRI	ITA	53.11	25.79		27.32	4.61	4.46	4.61	4.64	4.50	0.00	#5
14	Jasmine TESSARI / Stefano COLAFATO	ITA	49.75	28.15		21.60	3.79	3.39	3.61	3.71	3.61	0.00	#2
15	Cortney MANSOUR / Daryn ZHUNUSSOV	KAZ	48.62	26.00		22.62	3.96	3.61	3.82	3.89	3.64	0.00	#3
16	Laura ABTS / Maarten BUCKENS	BEL	41.58	21.95		19.63	3.39	3.18	3.29	3.39	3.14	0.00	#1

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SD	FD
1	Alexandra STEPANOVA / Ivan BUKIN	RUS	149.98	1	1
2	Valeria ZENKOVA / Valerie SINITSIN	RUS	130.58	2	2
3	Lauri BONACORSI / Travis MAGER	USA	129.63	3	3
4	Shari KOCH / Christian NUECHTERN	GER	124.35	4	4
5	Victoria HASEGAWA / Connor HASEGAWA	CAN	118.45	5	5
6	Lolita YERMAK / Alexander LIUBCHENKO	UKR	110.75	6	9
7	Sofia SFORZA / Francesco FIORETTI	ITA	107.73	7	8
8	Estelle ELIZABETH / Romain LE GAC	FRA	103.28	12	6
9	Caelen DALMER / Shane FIRUS	CAN	102.38	8	10
10	Yiyi ZHANG / Nan WU	CHN	100.96	11	7
11	Lindsay POUSSET / Louis THAURON	FRA	97.46	13	11
12	Alessia BUSI / Andrea FABBRI	ITA	95.03	9	13
13	Sarah COWARD / Avidan BROWN	GBR	94.58	10	12
14	Cortney MANSOUR / Daryn ZHUNUSSOV	KAZ	81.69	14	15
15	Jasmine TESSARI / Stefano COLAFATO	ITA	76.99	16	14
16	Laura ABTS / Maarten BUCKENS	BEL	70.08	15	16

JGP Italy Short Dance Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded. -	StN.
1	Alexandra STEPANOVA / Ivan BUKIN	RUS	62.86	33.43		29.43	7.39	7.18	7.36	7.39	7.43	0.00	#14
2	Valeria ZENKOVA / Valerie SINITSIN	RUS	53.84	27.85		25.99	6.61	6.25	6.57	6.57	6.46	0.00	#4
3	Lauri BONACORSI / Travis MAGER	USA	53.67	28.78		24.89	6.29	5.96	6.25	6.32	6.25	0.00	#12
4	Shari KOCH / Christian NUECHTERN	GER	51.89	28.57		23.32	5.96	5.61	5.71	6.00	5.82	0.00	#15
5	Victoria HASEGAWA / Connor HASEGAWA	CAN	51.53	29.57		21.96	5.50	5.36	5.50	5.57	5.50	0.00	#2
6	Lolita YERMAK / Alexander LIUBCHENKO	UKR	51.41	28.14		23.27	5.89	5.54	5.86	5.86	5.89	0.00	#10
7	Sofia SFORZA / Francesco FIORETTI	ITA	47.31	26.29		22.02	5.50	5.32	5.43	5.61	5.61	1.00	#16
8	Caelen DALMER / Shane FIRUS	CAN	43.14	24.93		18.21	4.46	4.39	4.71	4.71	4.50	0.00	#6
9	Alessia BUSI / Andrea FABBRI	ITA	41.92	23.79		18.13	4.64	4.25	4.68	4.57	4.50	0.00	#3
10	Sarah COWARD / Avidan BROWN	GBR	41.37	22.29		19.08	4.96	4.43	4.82	4.86	4.75	0.00	#5
11	Yiyi ZHANG / Nan WU	CHN	40.22	22.43		18.79	4.79	4.57	4.68	4.75	4.68	1.00	#7
12	Estelle ELIZABETH / Romain LE GAC	FRA	40.06	19.00		21.06	5.32	5.07	5.21	5.39	5.29	0.00	#11
13	Lindsay POUSSET / Louis THAURON	FRA	39.82	21.72		18.10	4.68	4.39	4.68	4.61	4.32	0.00	#9
14	Cortney MANSOUR / Daryn ZHUNUSSOV	KAZ	33.07	18.79		14.28	3.71	3.39	3.50	3.82	3.43	0.00	#13
15	Laura ABTS / Maarten BUCKENS	BEL	28.50	15.64		12.86	3.29	3.07	3.29	3.39	3.07	0.00	#1
16	Jasmine TESSARI / Stefano COLAFATO	ITA	27.24	16.92		13.32	3.46	3.21	3.21	3.64	3.14	3.00	#8

JGP Italy Dance Preview

This promises to be a good event with several teams in contention for the podium.  Stepanova and Bukin of Russia already have a gold medal from Romania.  If they finish on the podium, they'll earn a spot in the JGP Final.  Their score in Romania is the highest in this field by a comfortable margin, so they should not have a problem repeating their gold medal performance here.

Bonacorsi and Mager of the United States took home the silver medal in Australia.  Last weekend, Orford and Williams, who won gold in Australia, showed that their scores didn't hold up in a larger field.  Bonacorsi and Mager will have to improve on their performance if they hope to make the medal stand again at this event.  They'll need a gold medal to guarantee a spot in the Final while a silver or bronze might land them in a tiebreaker.

Koch and Nuchtern of Germany finished just off the podium last weekend in Austria.  They have a real shot at climbing the ranks here and nabbing their first JGP medal if they can maintain their performance level and not burn out from two back to back competitions.

Zenkova and Sinitsin of Russia have a bronze medal from Australia.  If they want to make the Final, they'll need a gold medal.  A silver would put them in a possible tiebreaker.

Also in the mix are Hasegawa and Hawegawa of Canada.  They can't qualify no matter what the result here, and that lack of pressure could give them the extra edge to capture their first medal.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Stepanova/Bukin
Silver: Koch/Nuchtern
Bronze: Bonacorsi/Mager

Bios of the competitors:

Abts/Buckens, BEL:

Dalmer/Firus, CAN

Hasegawa/Hasegawa, CAN: They finished 5^th at JGP Poland.  Their personal best is 118.45.  She is 17 and he is 19.

Zhang/Wu, CHN: They finished 12th at JGP Austria.  Their personal best is 110.90.  She is 18 and he is 19.

Elizabeth/Le Gac, FRA: They finished 9^th at their international debut in Austria.  Their personal best is 111.87.  She is 15 and he is 16. 

Pousset/Thauron, FRA: They finished 10^th at their international debut in Austria.  Their personal best is 103.35.  She is 15 and he is 16.

Koch/Nuchtern, GER: They finished 4^th at JGP Austria.  Their personal best is 124.09.  She is 18 and he is 19.

Coward/Brown, GBR: They finished 7^th at their JGP debut in Australia.  Their personal best is 92.66.  She is 18 and he is 20.

Cazzaniga/Ortenzi, ITA

Busi/Fabbri, ITA: They finished 11^th at their international debut in Austria.  Their personal best is 101.79.  He is 18.

Sforza/Fioretti, ITA: They finished 20th at Junior Worlds.  They placed 5th at JGP Romania.  Their personal best is 109.05.  She is 16 and he is 18.

Tessari/Colafato, ITA: They finished 16^th at their JGP debut in Poland.  Their personal best is 88.95.  She is 15 and he is 16.

Mansour/Zhunussov, KAZ

Zenkova/Sinitsin, RUS: They won bronze at JGP Australia.  Their personal best is 122.35.  She is 16 and he is 19.

Stepanova/Bukin, RUS: They won gold at JGP Romania.  They won gold at JGP France and Japan last season to qualify for the JGP Final where they won bronze.  Their personal best is 134.29.  She is 16 and he is 18.

Yermak/Liubchenko, UKR: They finished 7th at JGP France last season.  Their personal best is 91.28.  She is 15 and he is 19.

Bonacorsi/Mager, USA: They finished 11th at Junior Worlds.  They won silver at JGP Australia.  Their personal best is 123.62.  She is 18 and he is 20.